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Monday, August 26, 2013

Writing Letters

In my spare time I like to check out Facebook groups for military wives/families/girlfriends. Some of the problems they post are silly and some are serious. One of the questions a lot of the new-to-the-military ladies ask are what to write to their men. Here are my ideas:

My number one tip for writing letters is don't force it. If you sit yourself down and try to force yourself to write a letter, it will come out forced. Wait until you're feeling especially sad or are especially missing him. You know that overwhelming depressing feeling that bubbles up sometimes or that moment that sneaks in that you just miss him so much you have to lie down and have a good cry? That's the perfect time to write your letter. Release that extra emotion by writing a heartfelt message to him. It doesn't matter how mushy or cliche the words sound. I had a lot of those emotional moments right before he left and at the start of the deployment so I had quite the stack of letters ready to go.

Another idea of what to write: your plans for when he gets back. But this might be a personal preference of my husband's. He loves planning our future trips to distract himself from his current location. He also loves talking and hearing about how we'll have days of cuddling on the couch watching all the movies he missed while he was gone and the tv shows we have to catch up on. However, I know some guys hate talking about that kind of stuff because it makes the homesickness worse for them.

Sometimes I simply take a selfie with my iphone, print it out, and send it with a simple "I love and miss you" written on it.

One of the pictures I printed and sent...nothing special, just an everyday me.

I carry a ready-to-go letter in my purse at all times so that when I pass by a post office or box I can send it off. My husband loves the constant stream of letters, it makes him feel loved...and he is.

Great post here. I actually miss writing letters. Everything is so computerized nowadays. I feel like anytime I get to put pen to paper is a time of contentment and I actually put effort into what I'm writing. Anyway, pretty picture too!

I love writing letters. Love. I don't have a military fellah, but my husband does love the notes that I leave him, around the house, every so often. Great advice on when, and how to write letters. I completely agree, especially with the "don't force it" idea.

There is something totally special about writing, and receiving hand-written letters. It's an art and I'm thrilled it's still very much alive and well as a practice.

I like leaving notes too! I hid notes around the house last time I went to the US without him and he ruined the fun. I put them in spots that he would eventually find throughout a week or two. But the minute he found the first one, he went and hunted down the rest of them.

I took a 1.5L pop bottle, strips of paper, colourful markers, and wrote a note on each one (they were rolled up like a scroll). I wrote out favorite memories, plans for when he got home, an IOU for a hug/kiss/coffee/beer, a website to visit (when he got the chance), a simple "I love you".